Infant Smile

Before long, Steward Liu came in carrying a bowl of piping-hot medicinal soup. Madam Chen took the bowl, scooped up a spoonful, blew it cool, and brought it to Chen Mo's lips.

"Second Young Master, time for your medicine."

Watching the noblewoman's tear-filled eyes, Chen Mo felt somewhat comforted.

It seemed his parents in this life still loved their son.

When Chen Mo swallowed a spoonful, Madam Chen broke into a smile through her tears. "Drink your medicine obediently and get well. Your father's getting on in years, and he's still hoping you'll inherit the Chen Family's estate someday."

Chen Mo felt something was off, but kept drinking the medicine in big gulps.

Whether he inherited the family estate wasn't important. What mattered was that he wanted to take his medicine.

After he finished, Madam Chen helped him lie down, but didn't leave. Instead, she stayed by his side, murmuring on and on.

"Your mother's health is poor, so I can't have any more children. Eldest Young Master just passed away, but no matter what, I can't let anything happen to you..."

After a while, Chen Mo had adjusted enough to speak. "Mother, I'm all right. You and Father haven't slept well these past few days, either. Go get some rest. Let Qiulan and Master Zhou Wu stay with me."

At the sound of Chen Mo calling her Mother, Madam Chen burst into tears of joy and hugged him tightly. "Second Young Master knows how to call me Mother now. You really are getting better!"

Then Madam Chen released him in a rush of excitement and bowed with her palms pressed together toward the doorway. "Thank you, Goddess Hong Deng..."

Seeing Madam Chen muttering prayers like this, Chen Mo suddenly felt a swell of emotion.

After paying her respects to the Goddess, Madam Chen sat down and spent a long while offering Chen Mo words of comfort. At last, only after he urged her, did she leave.

As soon as Madam Chen was gone, Chen Mo called Qiulan over. "Qiulan, go get Master Zhou Wu."

Master Zhou Wu's real name was Zhou Liang. He was over forty and had once taught martial arts at a school in the county seat, where he had learned a fine set of skills. Later, he'd become an escort for the Zhenwei Escort Agency in the county, traveling far and wide and gaining plenty of experience.

Once, while escorting a shipment, he'd run into bandits. Nearly all the men traveling with the goods had been slaughtered, and Zhou Liang had lost the shipment, leaving him with a huge debt.

Chen Yin Fu had paid the money to get Zhou Liang out of trouble. From then on, Zhou Liang had worked as a guard at the Chen Mansion for ten years.

Otherwise, with Zhou Liang's pride, he would never have agreed to serve as anyone's guard.

Money really did make the world go round...

Before long, a burly man in a gray martial arts outfit walked in. A broad saber hung at his waist, and he looked imposing.

Zhou Liang came to the bedside and gave a slight nod. "Second Young Master."

Though Zhou Liang was a guard, his exceptional martial skills had made him renowned and given him a very high standing. He wasn't one of the mansion's servants. He was also an equal to Chen Yin Fu, so naturally, he wouldn't grovel before Chen Mo.

Chen Mo coughed twice and cupped one hand. "I'm grateful to you, Uncle Zhou, for stepping in so promptly when my illness flared up last time."

"Ahem."

Zhou Liang waved a big hand, hearty and unconcerned. "That was nothing. After a great calamity, good fortune is sure to follow. The best days are still ahead of you."

Chen Mo smiled. "The Chen Family still has to rely on you, Uncle Zhou. Although I've recovered from my illness, I don't remember much. I was hoping to ask you a few things."

Zhou Liang looked somewhat surprised.

The Second Young Master had always been arrogant and overbearing. He'd never been so courteous before.

Could it be that after such a serious illness, his temperament had changed? Had he finally come to his senses?

In this world, people often spoke of suddenly coming to their senses.

For instance, some dull-witted people would remain silent for years, then suddenly speak one day. Or some martial arts students with poor talent would suddenly have a breakthrough. People called it coming to their senses.

A moment later, Zhou Liang came back to himself and smiled. "There's no need to be so polite, Second Young Master. Just ask."

Chen Mo voiced the question on his mind. "People in Honghe County occasionally come down with Mad Demon Disease. Do you know where this illness comes from, Uncle Zhou?"

Zhou Liang thought for a moment. "In these times, demons and monsters roam everywhere, and common folk's lives are as cheap as grass. Perhaps some Evil Spirit is to blame. More and more people have come down with Mad Demon Disease lately. It's cause for concern."

Chen Mo hadn't heard anything useful, so he pressed on. "Do you know if Mad Demon Disease is a physical illness or a mental one?"

As soon as he asked, Chen Mo's heart began to pound. He was terribly nervous.

He feared hearing the answer he dreaded most.

But Zhou Liang said, "I've seen the Eldest Young Master's corpse, and those of several others who died of the disease. It should be a physical illness. People who contract Mad Demon Disease develop strange changes in their bodies. It's obvious that the disease affects the mind only after first acting on the body."

A physical illness...

Gasp!

Chen Mo sucked in a sharp breath.

He hadn't expected the worst-case scenario to come true after all.

Zhou Liang reassured him. "Don't worry, Second Young Master. I've looked into the patients who had Mad Demon Disease. Once the illness flares up, they go completely mad and turn into monsters. You recovered after your own episode, so you've clearly survived the ordeal. It must be thanks to Daoist Priest Li's great powers. There's no need to worry."

But Chen Mo still felt uneasy. "What changes happen to the bodies of people who contract Mad Demon Disease?"

Zhou Liang said, "The monsters killed after going mad all had an infant's face on their stomachs... All right, don't dwell on it, Second Young Master. I'm going outside to patrol for the night."

Perhaps he didn't want Chen Mo to worry too much. Zhou Liang left after that one remark.

The vast room was now empty, with only Chen Mo inside.

With effort, he sat up, threw off the quilt, and rolled up his undershirt. In the light of the bedside lamp, he looked down at his stomach.

He would never have known if he hadn't looked. Once he did, he was horrified.

A baby's face, half the size of a fist, shimmered in and out of view. Its eyes were shut, and the corners of its mouth curled upward as if it were smiling.

"Fuck!"

Chen Mo jumped in fright and hurriedly tried to rub it off.

But no matter how hard he rubbed, it wouldn't come off.

It was like a birthmark, grown into his stomach and fused with his skin.

An indescribable chill crept over Chen Mo.

"I'm done for..."

After staring blankly for a long while, Chen Mo finally came to himself and worked through the possibilities:

The original owner must have died when the illness flared up.

And since he had crossed over into this body, he'd inherited the original owner's flesh—and with it, the Mad Demon Disease already inside it!

Once Mad Demon Disease flared up, the sufferer went completely mad.

At the thought, Chen Mo felt as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar.

Though he was wrapped in thick blankets, his whole body felt cold, utterly without warmth.

His first instinct was to call Master Zhou Wu over, tell him what was happening, and ask what could be done.

But Chen Mo quickly realized he couldn't.

If anyone found out that I still have Mad Demon Disease, they'll tie me up for sure. They might even beat me to death.

After all, once the illness flares up, the sufferer turns into a monster that eats people at will.

No one must ever find out that I'm sick.

Luckily, Chen Mo was new to the household and wasn't used to having maids help him change clothes, so he'd changed his undershirt himself. His parents had been so worried about him, and so overjoyed to see him recover, that they hadn't thought to look more closely at that detail. That was why no one had seen the baby's smiling face on his stomach.

I'll have to find a way on my own.

"I finally crossed over into a wealthy family, with riches galore waiting for me. I can't turn into a mad monster that eats people!"

"I have to figure out this Mad Demon Disease and find a way to deal with it..."

At the thought, Chen Mo was wide awake. He sat up at once and called Qiulan over.

Qiulan entered and saw Chen Mo bending down to put on his shoes. She hurried over to stop him. "Young Master, Madam told you to lie down and recover. Why are you getting out of bed?"

Chen Mo said, "Help me outside, quickly. I need to go to the County Office."

For something as strange as Mad Demon Disease, the County Office would surely have detailed records.